Back to the Past Life
by Milka-Weasley
Summary: Hermione doesn't believe in past lives, but what happens when she experiences her own previous life? Who is who in a world set far away from England and Hogwarts? What is unavoidably different? Do please READ and REVIEW. [I suck at summaries, oh woe]
1. The Persuasion and the Gypsy Woman

**Author's Notes:** Here's my new fic. Dangabit, I am writing fics non-stop these days. Must be the Holiday season, hehe. I got the idea for this fic yesterday and I just had to make something of it. If you've read the summary, you prolly know what it's going to be about.

Anyways, I do hope you'll like it. Please tell me WHATEVER you think about it. You'll get a shout-out in the next part. One love.

**Disclaimer:** The story is mine and only mine. JKR's are Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Patil etc. You get the idea.

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Back to the Past Life

by **Milka-Weasley**

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**Part One - The Persuasion**

"Merry Christmas!" called a blonde girl cheerfully, as she met Hermione Granger in the main street of Hogsmeade.

"Merry Christmas, Lavender!" replied Hermione, smiling. "Something very nice has happened, judging by the size of your grin…"

"Ahhh." Lavender answered and nodded. "You really have a gift for Divination. I still don't understand why you've dropped that class…"

Hermione shook her head, as she tried to form an answer that wouldn't offend her. Everybody knew Lavender Brown and her best friend Parvati Patil adored those lessons. Hermione, on the contrary, thoutgh they were a bunch of bullsh… _nonsense_.

"Let's just say I believe in more precise magic."

Lavender stared for a second and then shrugged. "Well, anyways, that is kind of the reason why I'm grinning."

"How d'you mean?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.

"See that cottage across?" whispered Lavender in awe, as she showed Hermione a rusty old shack straight ahead. "It's the house of an old Gipsy woman. She's quite extraordinary, I'm telling you. I was there this morning and Patil's still inside. The woman is still talking about her past life… seems like Par didn't live as happily I did – she used to be a Muggle supporter and it didn't bring her any good… I, on the contrary, lived in a big castle in Denmark in my previous life, can you believe it?"

"Previous life?" said Hermione with a disparaging sneer. "Sounds like fun."

"Ooh, it's so much more than fun!" responded Lavender and then cautiously lowered her voice. "The Gipsy also told me about my future. I mustn't get near the wells and dark places, she said."

Hermione gave her best not to say anything dispraising, so she remained quiet.

"Will you give it a try?" smiled Lavender.

"Hmmm?"

"The fortune-telling. And past lives. You said it sounded like much fun!"

"Ahm, well," Hermione muttered as she tried to find a good reason not to go there. "I need to meet Harry and Ron in about fifteen minutes in Three Broomsticks, so I don't think that…"

"But, there's Patil," exclaimed Lavender pointing at Parvati who was going towards them. "so she must be already done! It doesn't take a lot of time. C'mon, Hermione! You aren't…" Lavender paused dramatically. "terrified of what you may hear, are you?"

Hermione laughed. "'Course not!"

"Then?" poked Lavender.

Hermione took a deep breath, thinking if it was about time to say something that might get Lavender angry.

"Hello girls!" said Patil as she met Hermione and Lavender.

"So… how did it go?" Lavender widened her eyes in excitement and curiosity, obviously forgetting that she needed to continue convincing Hermione.

"Quite well in the end. I married a pure-blood and was forgiven for all of my past misbehaviours." Patil responded cheerfully.

"Fabulous!" Lavender said honestly.

Hermione smirked. "It always ends well, doesn't it?"

"It doesn't have to." protested Patil. "Have you already gone there?"

"I'm persuading her to do it." Lavender said earnestly.

"Scared, right?" nodded Parvati understandingly. "I was kind of too. But believe me, it's not as scary as it sounds. It's an amazing experience!"

Hermione sighed. "I am not scared, but I don't wanna do it, okay?"

Parvati and Brown exchanged suspicious looks.

"Only the ones who can't face it, don't try it." added Parvati.

Hermione sighed again, realizing that the only way to show she didn't find it horrid, was to go to that _bloody_ Gipsy woman.

"Alright, fine," she finally gave in. "I'll go, but I will never understand how you've made me do it."

Lavender and Parvati chuckled confidently and shook each other's hands. "We're so good. We really are."

--

**Part Two - The Gypsy Woman**

Hermione stood in front of the shabby doors as she was having a second thought.

Why was she doing this? Because of two… fanatics? To prove she was not scared? Well, she wouldn't be in _Gryffindor_ if she was _scared_. But then again, how come she wasn't entering the cottage? Could it be that, even though she didn't believe in anything like past lives and telling future, she still didn't feel comfortable?

No, she refused to admit that, so she pushed the door and entered a darkened room.

Hermione saw a small round table in the center with a cyan stellar table cloth stretched across it. Unavoidably, there were also a crystal ball, many cards and loads of smalls candles floating in the air. Suddenly, mildly flashing words appeared in front of Hermione, saying:

"_Take a seat."_

Hermione muttered in her chin something like: "You could just tell me to do it, no need for the special effects…" but she sat down.

As soon as she did that, an old dark tanned woman materialized on the side of the table.

"Welcome, miss Granger." she said in a mystical voice.

Hermione thought how the woman must have gotten a list of Hogwarts students with their pictures from Dumbledore.

"Er, thanks."

"Give me your hands."

Hermione wanted to comment about the woman already having her own hands and that she couldn't see why she'd need Hermione's too, but she suppressed the will for sarcasm and placed her hands in the old woman's.

"Close your eyes and try to free you mind from any thoughts."

Hermione really didn't want to free her mind, but caught herself doing it. Suddenly, she realized that without the constant thinking, she felt so much… _lighter._

"Good." Hermione heard the Gypsy whispering. "Now, let's go back to the time when you led the most interesting life… Is it the 20th century? No… Was it earlier? Yes… I can feel it.. Yes… It's the 19th century… and it is far far away from here… Yes… When I count to five, miss Granger, you shall open your eyes and find yourself in America, in year 1866, right in the middle of the Wild West."

Hermione wanted to laugh at this, but she wasn't able to.

"_1…"_

Her mind couldn't do it.

"_2…"_

Instead, she felt everything starts spinning so quickly and as though she wasn't sitting any more.

"_3…"_

The Gypsy's voice was getting farther and Hermione was almost positive she was floating somewhere in the mid-air.

"_4…"_

She wasn't even sure if the woman was counting any more.

"_5…"_

Hermione suddenly felt solid ground beneath her legs. There was a moment of silence before hearing a loud sound of neighing and galloping. She swallowed a dumpling and decided to open her eyes.

Even though Hermione was still unwilling to admit something had happened, she knew that she was definitely not inside the Gypsy's cottage any more.

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**Author's Notes:** What d'you think? I hope you like it so far! Tell me your thoughts in REVIEWS and I'll continue it… Only if you think I should. So… REVIEWS PLEASE.

Love you!


	2. The Terror

**Author's Notes:** Okay, so here we are. Please, do not read this story if you aren't prepared for **OOC-ness**. It will be like that, since, you know this is a _PAST_ life. And things tend to be _DIFFERENT_ in other lives and realms. Okay?

For all of you people who decide to continue reading, please tell me if you like the -- er, so called-- twist or whatever in the end. The _character_ twist. If not, do you have a suggestion? I am open for ideas.

And, as I've promised, here are the warmest shoutouts ever to **Misao, Demon Master,** **duj**, **Black-rose23**, **silver-star-0**, **eckles, Ashley Wood**, **longingtotouch**, **blackcoat-245 **, **divabee**, **crazzymonkey**, **BOB**, **Jessica-McConell** and **Slayer of the Evil Penguins** who have been so KIND to review the first installment. Thank you, guys! You own my soul. loves

Oh, and – I know I had some typos, but I am too lazy to correct them. Sorry!

Now... Onto the story. Please review it once you finish reading! Love.

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**Part Three – The Terror**

Hermione Granger gazed around herself, desperately trying not to let her jaw drop in astonishment. But she failed miserably, because her mouth was widely open and almost touching the dusty road she had been standing on.

Hermione looked at her feet and the lower part of her body. It was obvious that her regular clothes were gone. Instead, she was wearing a very heavy dress and leather boots.

"Merlin and Agrippa…" she said to herself, amazed. "If it isn't the Wild West…"

"Not as amazing as the Egyptian Pyramids, but we're surviving."

Hermione turned around. She saw a male figure sitting on a big brown horse just a couple of meters away, wearing a large hat on his head which was shadowing his face.

"I didn't realize anyone was around…"

"Well, except me and you, it does seem a bit bleak…"

Hermione had an odd feeling that she had heard that voice before, but couldn't remember where or when, because it was a whole different accent and way of speaking. Even her own voice sounded completely different, now that it had lost the usual British accent.

Hermione was curious to learn why the voice was familiar to her, but didn't have a chance to do so.

A sudden loud gunshot was heard, making her startle unpleasantly.

"Damn!" the man cursed loudly. "Pardon my language, ma'am. But it must be noon already. Quickly, there's not time to lose. Get on the horse!"

"W-what?" Hermione asked confusedly.

"You wanna get killed or not?" he said impatiently, and as he noticed a flick of fear in Hermione's eyes, added. "Good, now hop on!"

Hermione wasn't sure what to do. She could either stay there, on the street, being clueless about where to go next… or… get on the stranger's horse and, possibly, have her life saved.

Why was she leaning towards the second option?

"I-- I don't think I know how…"

"Don't know how?"

Hermione could sense the tone of disbelief in his voice, so she shook head, feeling her cheeks going red.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me! No? Here, then, let me help you!"

He skillfully jumped off the horse and then lifted Hermione up in the air.

In the next moment, Hermione was sitting on the back of the horse and the man climbed it again, toeing the animal in thighs. The horse started galloping at once and she instinctively grabbed the man around his waist.

"What was that thing about surviving?" said Hermione, slightly ironically.

The man laughed. "Not my fault you've decided to play damsel in distress at this time. It's noon, after all."

"Yeah, I heard you say that before too. Why's it so important the time of the day?"

The man didn't reply for a moment or two.

"I've already realized you must be an out-of-towner, but still, everybody knows why you can't be on the streets of Monmouth at noon. Especially not when the sheriff is on the important meeting in the other city!"

"Well, apparently," replied Hermione, feeling extremely strange for being the ignorant one. "not everybody knows."

"Yeah, seems so. Okay. It's because of the -- the Mad Red Twins terror. Still sure you haven't heard about it?"

"Mad Red Twins?" repeated Hermione mechanically, completely flabbergasted.

There were only two pairs of twins she had ever known in her life.

The first one were Parvati and Padma Patil (one of them being responsible why she was here in the first place, remembered Hermione bitterly), and the second pair was…

"Oh, no! It can't possibly be! It is absolutely _ridiculous_! You don't mean -- Fred and George Weasley?!"

The consequence of her last sentence was nearly lethal, because the horse did a mad jump and Hermione and cowboy nearly fell off. He, however, managed to calm the animal down, but Hermione noticed he became slightly more tense that he was two minutes ago. She could hear him cursing in his chin, before speaking again.

"Nobody calls them like that. Not even the bravest of men. Except maybe the sheriff, but he's hardly afraid of anything. Plus, I don't think those are their real names. More like Frederick and Georgian. You call them as though they're your friends. No wonder my horse's gone wild… Dare say you don't know anything about the terror again?"

"But I don't know about it, I swear!" justified Hermione herself quickly. "And I still don't believe it to be true! They just aren't like that!"

"They aren't like -- _what_?" he said coldly.

"They don't... terrorize people." said Hermione, and then remembered all those times they'd turned Hogwarts students into canaries or made their ears twice as big. "Okay, they do it occasionally, but certainly not with _guns_!"

"Obviously," he said, and the tone of his voice went from cold to icy. "they haven't touched your family before."

Hermione's stomach jumbled.

This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be talking about Fred and George as criminals! It's_ insane_!

"I – I - I…"

Hermione tried to apologize, but found it very difficult. She was still having troubles to absorb the horrible information.

Hermione was sure she would never be able to forgive herself for entering the Gypsy's house. (And as soon as she goes back to her normal time, she though, she'll have a very serious talk with Lavender and Parvati. Or, even better, a _duel_…)

"Yeah, yeah, you didn't know and you are sorry." he said quickly, not waiting for Hermione to finish what she'd started. "So, where am I taking you? Where do you live? Don't tell me you don't know that either, or I'll seriously start suspecting you're a liar and a thief, who's just using my noble manners to drag me to bed and then rob me."

"Ahh, don't worry, I think I know the answer to this question…" Hermione muttered suddenly realizing a word was going through her mind repeatedly.

Could it be the name of her house? Ranch? Whatever?

"Eastern Blue Walley. Yes, that's it."

"Okay, not too far from here." he nodded and Hermione felt relieved. At least she knew _something_ in this messed up wild world. "Be sure you're holding tightly 'cause I'm about to speed up!"

Hermione didn't need to be told twice. She gripped him nervously, feeling the horse going faster and faster.

After about ten minutes riding in silence, Hermione saw a big house on their left. Instinctively, and quite unexplainably, she yelled:

"That's it! There's my house!"

The cowboy just nodded and turned left. They approached the porch, where a woman was sitting in a rocking chair, looking rather grim.

"Jane Granger!"

"Pretty name." whispered the cowboy, before helping Hermione get off the horse.

Hermione wasn't sure if she agreed with him. Jane was her middle name, but it seemed to be her first in this life.

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick!"

"Hi, mum." smiled Hermione, ignoring her mother's annoyed tone. She felt incredibly happy to be able to see a familiar and loved face. "I was just fine. This boy brought me home."

"So I can see." responded Mrs. Granger.

"Howdy, ma'am." grinned the cowboy widely as he jumped back on his horse. "I've got to go! Nice meeting you, Jane!"

"Oh, but wait!" yelled Hermione, turning around, suddenly aware she hadn't seen his face at all or asked for his name. "May I, at least, know the name of my savior?"

"I thought you'd never ask." he smiled at her. "It's Wood. Olio Wood!" he shouted in respond, before kicking the horse and cantering away.

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	3. The Noble Family

**Author's Notes:** New chappie, finally. My life's been very very shi... _not tender_ lately, so I couldn't write. Somebody even stole my bloody cell phone yesterday... I'm such a jinx. Well, you know what would make me extremely happy? Yes? Then do it. Read and write reviews, please. Thanks.

Thanks so much to you people who read and reviewed the last bit -- **Misao, Demon Master,** **Black-rose23**, **HP-Scriptor**, **longingtotouch**, **crazzymonkey** and **Jessica-McConacil**. I LOVE YOU.

**HP-Scriptor** – I took your advice. I've re-written the first three bits to past tense and the one I'm posting now is in past tense as well. Thanks for the tip! I like it better this way too. ;) I only need to repost the first bits... it'll take a while to change, though.

Andddd, anyways... the story continues – _now_.

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**Chapter Four: The Noble Family**

Ollie Wood… Ollie Wood… _Oliver Wood_!

That's it! No wonder the voice seemed so familiar to Hermione! He used to go with her to Hogwarts… He was the Quidditch Captain of the Gryffindor Team!

"Good that you've got home for lunch." said Mrs. Granger and brought back Hermione from her thoughts.

Her mother led her into the wooden house. "Still, you could've told us you'd be out this morning. You know I don't like you jaunting around noon… You never know what can happen…"

Hermione frowned as she realized that the Mad Red Twins (so-called) terror was a well known fact.

"No need for worries. I'm a big girl." responded Hermione seriously, not being able to imagine neither Fred nor George hurting her on purpose.

"Then why don't you get married already, Jane? I could use your room, you know. Sleeping in the same bedroom as Liz is not a very happy thought at all." added somebody else and Hermione realized there were four more people sitting around the big dinning table.

Her eyes wandered from one person to another, noticing great similarity between the faces.

There were two boys – one younger than Hermione and the other one that seemed to be about her age. There was also a much younger girl and a very old lady, possibly their grandmother.

"That's not funny at all, Jared!" huffed the girl, who had the same brown eyes and thin lips as Hermione.

"Who says it is?" the boy replied. "I think it's sad, actually."

"Mom! Tell him to stop!"

"Calm down, children." said Mrs. Granger evenly as she went to the kitchen to bring the meals. "As long as you two aren't old enough, you'll be sharing a room and that's final. We've talked about it a million times by now."

"Not fair." muttered Jared in his chin. "I'm a whole year and a half older than she is, I should get my own room…" Even though he grumbled, the discussion ended there.

"Jane," Liz said, her eyes suddenly shining with curiosity. "who was that?"

"Hmmm?" mumbled Hermione, still very perplexed to see that she had so close relatives. She had been an only child since forever, so it was no wonder this was quite new and a shocking thing.

"It's 'excuse me', Jane, not 'hmmm'." said the old lady rigidly. "I think you hang out with cowboys too much… You're a lady and you should act like one. You aren't a cowgirl, God forbid."

The two kids giggled at this. Hermione didn't know what to say. Protest? Obey? Simply shut up? She, not too willingly, decided to stick to the last option. For now, at least.

"Your prince on the horse." little Granger girl didn't give up, as she was practically swallowing Hermione with eagerness.

"Oh, that." nodded Hermione, smiling. "Met him today. His name's Oliver Wood, if I'm not mistaken… And he's not my price on…"

"Ollie Wood." interrupted the older Granger brother.

"Right…" said Hermione, remembering things weren't the same in this realm.

"I know him." he said, looking straight at Hermione's eyes. There was something deep and very clever in them and Hermione, quite unexplainably, felt proud to have him as brother.

"Bobby!" squealed Liz excitedly. "You do? Oh, tell us something about him! Please! _Please_!"

"Girls…" muttered Jared knowingly, staring at his plate.

"Well, I know of him, at least." replied Bobby. "He's quite… well… _nervous_."

"What do you mean?" Hermione and Liz asked at the same time, and Hermione could feel that even her mother, grandmother and Jared were listening very carefully now.

"It had something to do with his family, I think. Something bad's happened, I don't know what, really. But people say he wasn't the same after that. He started… well… tramping around."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Mum, what's tramping?"

"Going without knowing where to go." responded her mother.

"You want to say he's homeless?" asked Hermione silently. Bobby nodded.

"Jane, dear," her mother turned to Hermione, speaking anxiously. "are you completely sure you should be seeing this guy? You've heard what your brother's said… He doesn't seem to have a nice past, right?"

Hermione stared mutely.

"I agree." Grandmother added. "Cowboys are trouble even when they've got normal lives."

Hermione felt anger going through her veins. That old… old… _bat_… really went on her nerves!

"You really think I was going to marry him?" she raised her voice, feeling extremely annoyed. "Is this how it goes here? You meet a guy, exchange two sentences and next thing you know you have stomach big as Mississippi and nine months later you're a big happy family? And what's all thing about being a lady who mustn't associate with cowboys? What are we, some kind of noble family? Ha!"

"Jane! How dare you speak like that!" Mrs. Granger exclaimed outrageously.

"This is all wrong. All wrong. I have to go home. I need to…" she muttered ramblingly and stood from the table.

"But… but… you _are_ home!" Liz said, her eyes begging, as tears started to weld in her eyes. "What are you… what is she… talking about.. Mom?

"Jane." the oldest Granger said calmly with a lethal tone of graveness. "Get back to the table and stop talking nonsense. Immediately."

"No… no… I need to sleep… yes, maybe that's how I'll go back..." she mumbled in her chin. "Yeah… I am tired. I have to sleep."

"Jane. Finish lunch."

But Hermione didn't listen. She stood up and eyeing the small hallway to her right, quickly went to it. She could still hear her Grandmother's voice, but she couldn't care less. All she wanted to do was to go to bed as soon as possible and make herself sleep, because that might be the only way for her to get back to the present life.

She saw a wooden door with a small tag 'J.G.' on it. Hermione pushed the door open and found herself in a small, cozy, girl room with one bed and a night table, a writing desk, a toilet table and a large closet.

There were a few paintings on the walls, but one caught her eyes first. It was a big, beautifully and very realistically painted portrait of a man whose smile she could never fail to recognize. Thick eyebrows and grizzle hair enchased a friendly face she loved the most. It was the portrait of her father, Harold Granger.

"Hi, dad." she said quietly to the painting, suddenly noticing that something had been written in one corner of it. Hermione moved closer and read out loud:

"1810 - 1863."

A silent tear strolled down her face, closely followed by another. Tears quickly exhausted her and she fell asleep not long after reaching the bed.

Hours later, Hermione woke up with a start. She was quite sure she had heard a noise somewhere and that it wasn't her figment. Even though a huge wave of disappointment that she was still caught in this life came over her, Hermione needed to know what or who had made the noise… Especially because it came from somewhere below the floor...

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**Author's Notes**: Liked it? Have any suggestions? What do you think? Tell me everything in your review, yes. One love.


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